No BIOS Info During P. O .S. T.

Hi all,

Has anybody encountered this phenomenon before? I can still access the BIOS, but I have to time things just right since there is nothing displayed until the black XP screen pops up.

Thanks

 

Is Quick/Fast boot enabled in the Bios?

 

Yes, it is enabled, but I have used this setting for as long as I can remember. I tried to toggle it the other way and I saw the memory countdown on bootup, but after that, things were back as they used to be on subsequent bootups.....Meaning no BIOS info displayed.

I also did a virus scan in safe mode to see if that would shed any light, but it was clean.

 

What motherboard?

 

MSI MS-6738

http://www.msi.com.tw/program/products/mainboard/mbd/pro_mbd_detail.php?UID=411

 

The only thing I can see in the manual is make sure Quick Power On Self Test is disabled. Are you using TweakUI? It has a setting to shorten the boot time by bypassing the POST screen.

 

No, I've never used TweakUI. I use the Optimized settings for better performance, and that disables the memory count.

I am running 256mb of RAM, and when I set the BIOS to do a memory test (Today) during post, it re-counted it several times. Not sure if I remember seeing that done before. Seems like the RAM was only counted once, a great while ago when I fiddled with the BIOS settings back then.

 

Some BIOSes do count the memory twice. If you think it may be a problem with RAM, use the memory diags in my signature.

I don't set Quick POST, if you add hardware it may not be recognised correctly. I usually press the power button then walk off to get a beverage or snack while the system does POST and boot. If you use quick POST a problem or error during startup may not be identified.

You can easily miss the time to press the key to enter the BIOS settings. Now I watch the keyboard LED and start tapping the key as soon as it lights up. Same with F8 to go into Safe Mode.

Good spotting on Whiseyman's behalf nailing that it was Quick POST.

 

I think I have the software you linked to mattman. Plus some diagnostic tools that came with a utility suite I bought. I'll give it a shot and see if that uncovers anything.

Are there any Windows settings (XP Home/ SP2) that could effect something like this?

 

Sorry, from what you say I cannot see if it stays set as "normal" POST. If it keeps reverting to Quick POST and Quick POST is a default of the BIOS, I would suspect a dead CMOS battery.

Can you give any further description of the problem with regard to the Quick POST.

Matt

 

I'll have to double check...Seeems like it reverted back to it's old setting, but I'm not sure about that.

The system clock does get off more than I think it should, so maybe the battery is getting weak.

 

After making the changes in the Bios are you doing Save and Exit (F10)?

 

One thought: edit boot.ini (rt-clk my computer > properties > advanced tab > startup and recovery settings button > edit button) and add /sos to the line(s) under the [operating systems] heading. That will remove XP from the equation.

 

I tried the software in your link and the diagnostic software that came with my utility suite, but no errors were reported of any kind with the RAM.

I thought the BIOS settings might have reverted back on their own after a few reboots, but they remained unchanged from where I set last them...Does that rule out a weak CMOS battery?

Yes.

One other observation I noticed. When I disabled Quick Boot, then clicked F-10 to save to CMOS and exit. The POST screen appeared and I saw the RAM being counted 3 times. But there was no such screen on the next reboot, or on subsequent reboots. I went back to check the BIOS settings and Quick Boot was still disabled.

I managed to edit the boot.ini, but it did not have an effect on the POST screen...However, it did bring up a screen of the drivers(?) loading, plus another screen that displayed the OS, amount of RAM, etc., and another screen that displayed the various drives (A, B, C, D) being checked.

 

Does it seem to be timed exactly the same way? Does it show you the Win XP screen at exactly the same point each time? Does the monitor seem to get powered up OK? Does the BIOS settings screen "pop up" immediately or is there still a wait until it shows (start tapping the "enter BIOS" key as soon as you see the keyboard LED stay on).
Sorry for all the questions, I am trying to get a visual picture of what is happening.

Maybe a different problem, but I seem to have a similar thing happening on a Dell I am working on. I don't see the Dell splash screen, only the Win 2000 loadup screen. Today I have disconnected the CD drive and a zip drive and now I see the Dell splash screen. My guess is that the power supply is taking longer to get warmed up (or maybe the graphics card is waiting for a full supply of power?).

Can you see much difference from a cold start to a warm boot (Windows restart)?

If it is a similar problem to the Dell, I would suspect the power supply.

Another suggestion might be to look at the information about the BIOS upgrades for the motherboard, although I don't think I have seen anything along these lines.

Matt
PS Since you have disabled Quick POST you should hear a POST beep. As soon as you hear the beep, start tapping the Pause key. Any difference in the screen that appears?

 

I do have one computer that frequently misses the beginning of the bios report on the monitor, as if the video needs to warm up and does so more slowly than the rest of the hardware. I'm not concerned and suggest you not be concerned either, so long as all is working well (it is in your case, too). My box has a 480W PSU and the card in question is an asus with DVI and 128MB which otherwise works fine. If you have access to another video card, you might substitute it temporarily as a test, but, again, don't worry about it..

 

Good suggestion. Assembled a computer today - Athlon 4200+ X2, ASUS m/b, 2 GB RAM etc. etc. It boots so fast that there is nothing on the monitor except Windows XP logo when it comes on.

 

I thought about the video aspects of this situation, but I haven't had a chance to try another monitor just yet due to family members visiting from out of state.

I doubt that the monitor is the problem, but I'm not too sure about the onboard video.

I haven't seen any problems resulting from not seeing a POST screen yet...It's just one of those small things that can bug you to death if you let it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

P. S. I will get back with you later mattman.

 

The timing looks to be about the same to me.

The XP welcome screen shows up on time as far as I can tell.

Yes, the monitor powers up nicely, and does not appear to be late.

There is no delay when I tap the delete key to enter the BIOS.

I did not see any difference with a cold start vs. a warm start. However, I do remember installing a USB card about 2 weeks ago...I had decided to use that instead of relying on a hub. I had a printer, a UPS, and an optical mouse plugged into this card...The hub was plugged into the one of the onboard slots.

After taking out the card, I can know see the POST screen again. I went back and installed the card again after trying different setups with my USB plugs, and I can still see the POST screen. Except that I moved my Microsoft optical mouse into an onboard USB slot. I'm not completely sure, but plugging the mouse into the USB card might have been part of the problem...(At least I noticed that the POST screen flashed by quicker with the mouse plugged into the card)

My Axio power supply is rated at 550 watts...Is there a way to check it's power output in Windows?

I had thought about upgrading the BIOS, but MSI does not recommend it as long as everything is running smoothly. MY BIOS version is 1.1 and there have been a few released since then...

http://www.msi.com.tw/program/support/bios/bos/spt_bos_detail.php?UID=411&kind=1

By tapping the pause key, I was able to see the POST screen. I resumed the booting process by tapping the enter key.

One note here: I never hear the beep unless I do a cold start, or exit the BIOS...I presume that this is normal? Also, if Quick Boot is disabled, I only see the memory count after a BIOS exit, or a cold start.

 

Reading into this, you see the POST screen, but do not see the memory count.
Interestingly, I see that the BIOS upgrades relate to VGA, USB and the mouse (yes, I would run the mouse from the motherboard connector). You say it is only an annoyance, I had a system where it could not do a warm boot (even restart from a program installation). I lived with it for a few years and suspected a BIOS problem, gave it to my daughter, then when it came back to me for repairs ( "Dad, fix the computer!" ) I lost patients with the stalled restarts and decided to flash the BIOS. It worked!
When you run out of patients do the BIOS upgrade
Do a floppy style flash if there may be several types. Read the instructions carefully. A BIOS upgrade is not hard, you just need to be careful to follow the instructions. After you've done one you think you're an expert

Matt
Edit: forgot, power calculator:
http://www.jscustompcs.com/power_supply/